[Terrapreta] Rice husk + fungi trial

Sean K. Barry sean.barry at juno.com
Tue Feb 5 12:05:14 CST 2008 

Hi Gerrit,

The improved seedling plant growth is an observation.  It is the improved soil health that is the important aspect to see and understand about Robert's (or any Terra Preta researcher's) experiments with charcoal-in-soil, I think.  If that soil is used for seedlings and then used for soil on the transplant site and will still help plants grow or make the transplant site more productive over time, then the soil is where the value is invested.  The plants and the agronomists that grow in or use the those newly formed TP soils will be the benefactors of a more long lived valuable investment than the mere improved growth of a group of seedlings.  Would you agree?  The rest of the world will benefit from the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere and sequestration into soil.  Whole economies could improve and/or emerge with trade in charcoal-for-soil.

We need to look at the BIG solution picture, because the problems are BIG, looming, and getting BIGGER.  There IS a RHINOCEROS in the room!

Regards,

SKB


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gerald Van Koeverden<mailto:vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca> 
  To: Robert Flanagan<mailto:saffechina at gmail.com> 
  Cc: terrapreta<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 10:54 AM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Rice husk + fungi trial


  Robert,


  This looks like great stuff.  But one suggestion:


  The evidence of these trials might be much more important for a very different industry.  Whereas, at the present price of biochar, we can't yet rationalize the returns for using it extensively whether in reforestration or even in farmers fields, there could be a  place for it in intensive agriculture, eg. the vegetable and tree propagation business which annually produces billions of transplants -tomatoes, tobacco, pines etc. - every year for planting out in the fields (or forests) in the spring.  It could well afford to use biochar, IF it is shown that such plants do better AFTER transplanting.  


  Thus in this experiment of BIOTROP, the most important part of the experiment for me is not in how beautiful the biochar seedlings look in the nursery, but in how well they do after transplanting in comparison to the controls under various weather and soil conditions.  (It is well known in the greenhouse business, that a small tough plant survives transplantation to the field more readily than a large lush one.)  


  I look forward to any future reports on this work.  It sounds exciting to me.


  Gerrit




  On 5-Feb-08, at 1:49 AM, Robert Flanagan wrote:


    Hey Sean,

    The trees are called "Albasiah" here, (Latin name, Paraseriantes Falcataria) and they are typically harvested after three years (Remember this is the tropics).
    Yep the subsoil+biochar+fungi are much better, it's really quite something to see up close! 
    My plan is to remove and wash the roots before taking the next round of photos on day90 so this should give us a quick idea of what really went on above and below the ground.
    We added no fertilizer as we wanted to see the true effect of the fungi and char. 
    I'm hoping the guys at BIOTROP will carry out all the tests to retrieve as much data as possible and then publish their findings.

    Now the reason we used subsoil and not sterilized sand was we wanted to see the possibilities for amending poor soil with biochar. Now what we found looks very promising but there is lots more to learn here. Now I stand to be corrected on the next statement, "I think what we can prove here is that the fungi are making nutrients that where plant unavailable now plant available". If this is so when using biochar we should also consider using products in the biochar to stimulate local biology growth or look at simple ways to extract and cultivate local beneficial bacteria and fungi to boost our biochar.

    I'll added a one pager that I've been working on to give you some idea where I'm heading with these trials, please feel free to comment!

    I'll do my best to get good photos and pass them on when this trial finishes.

    Regards,
    Rob.

    On Feb 5, 2008 1:49 PM, Sean K. Barry <sean.barry at juno.com<mailto:sean.barry at juno.com>> wrote:

      Hi Robert,

      Thanks for fixing that link.  Are the trees in those tubes a kind of broadleaf evergreen?  At 4-6" (it looks like) in those tubes, how fast do these trees grow pulp wood?  The subsoil+biochar+fungi are very green and larger plants by some degree already.  It will be very interesting to see how much the vegetative growth of those plans stays ahead of the control.  Will these tests never use fertilizer on the trees?  Is that how the pulpwood growers grow them?  I would be very curious about the growth in the root zone too.  Will there be any tests on mass growth measurement?

      Thanks for the interesting pictures.  It makes me want it to be spring here or build a green house or something.  We are seeing light snow today, after some wicked cold snaps (-15F to -22F) at night.  I envy your BIOTROP(ical) jaunts, I think.

      Regards,

      SKB
        ----- Original Message ----- 
        From: Robert Flanagan<mailto:agrisonic at gmail.com> 
        To: Edward Someus<mailto:edward at terrenum.net> ; terrapreta<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
        Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 10:17 PM
        Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Rice husk + fungi trial


        Hey Edward,

        Sorry this is the working link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvo1w8gFSts<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvo1w8gFSts> , hope you enjoy!

        Rob.


        On Feb 5, 2008 11:39 AM, Edward Someus <edward at terrenum.net<mailto:edward at terrenum.net>> wrote:

                Robert, 

                On this web page it was indicated that it has been removed from web 

                  This video has been removed by the user. 

                ??




                Sincerely yours: Edward Someus (environmental engineer)
                Terra Humana Clean Tech Ltd. (ISO 9001/ISO 14001)
                3R Environmental Technologies Ltd. 
                ADDRESS: H-1222 Budapest, Szechenyi 59, Hungary
                TEL handy:  +(36-20) 201 7557
                TEL / FAX:   +(36-1) 424 0224
                TEL SKYPE phone via computer:  Edward Someus
                3R TERRACARBON:   http://www.terrenum.net <>
                3R CLEANCOAL ENERGY: http://www.nvirocleantech.com<http://www.nvirocleantech.com/> 
                <http://www.vertustechnologies.com/>
                -------Original Message-------

                From: Robert Flanagan<mailto:agrisonic at gmail.com>
                Date: 2008.02.05. 4:21:16
                To: 'terrapreta'<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
                Subject: [Terrapreta] Rice husk + fungi trial

                Hi,

                I just got to visit my biochar trial at BIOTROP today so I took a few photos to give all you some idea of the profound difference biochar makes to subsoil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYOat-FSI1o<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYOat-FSI1o> .

                Rob.

               
                       
               


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    -- 
    Robert Flanagan
    Chairman & President
    Hangzhou Sustainable Agricultural Food & Fuel Enterprise Co., Ltd.

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